blizzard blast. a deadly winter storm piles on the central plains. more than a foot of snow falls in some areas, and wintry weather makes its move toward the east. fiscal fight. time is running out for leaders in washington to avoid steep budget cuts that could have a dire effect on the nation's economy. and defensive diet. a new study shows one diet in particular can help protect you from the leading cause of death particular can help protect you from the leading cause of death for all americans. captioning funded by cbs good morning, good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. this morning, a powerful snowstorm is moving from the plains into the great lakes. blizzard warnings are posted in oklahoma, kansas, and parts of

arkansas, and at least two deaths are blamed on this ferocious weather. in the texas panhandle, the storm unleashed hurricane-force winds and whiteout conditions. in amarillo, 19 inches of snow fell, dozens were stranded, and thousands lost power. this morning the brunt of the storm is moving through kansas. up to 24 inches of snow is expected in parts of the state. it will fall on what's left of last week's record snowfall. many kansas school districts have already called off classes for today. for much of the day, all the highways in the oklahoma panhandle were closed by the highway patrol. a state of emergency has been declared for at least 60 oklahoma counties. >> this particular snow is forecasted to be a wet, heavy snow which means roadways will get packed fairly quickly. it will cause travel issues. it will be a lot harder for the snowplows and road graders to remove it from the roadway. >> new mexico and colorado were the first areas to get hit by

this latest storm. a freeway east of albuquerque was a sheet of ice. and even where the weather was clear, the storm caused a backup. cbs news weather consultant david bernard is following the storm. >> the big plains blizzard will continue to dump very heavy snow throughout the region throughout the day today. in fact, this is how much more we're expecting, and the bull's eye is going to be over missouri where as much as a foot of snow could fall. some areas could locally see up to two feet of snow in a few spots. as the storm heads toward chicago, it begins to weaken. we could still see three six inches of snow even across northern portions of illinois. severe weather today is going to be confined to the southeast from the north and south carolina coastlines through northern and central portions of florida. but drying out behind that. new orleans today, 60 degrees. that will be a big improvement. rain is going spread into the northeast from the southwest. pittsburgh, d.c., philadelphia will have rain by the afternoon,

including cleveland. to the west, that's where the core of the winter storm will be. heavy snow kansas city, maybe even into portions of st. louis, and again snow spreading into chicago throughout the day. i'm david bernard for cbs news, miami. this morning at least 19 tourists were killed when a hot air balloon crashed near luxor, egypt. egyptian officials say the balloon crashed into a sugar cane field following a midair fire and explosion. one passenger and the pilot reportedly survived. most of the tourists were from asia. four were from the united kingdom. three days to go until the dramatic across-the-board budget cuts kick in. no negotiations between the administration and congressional republicans are planned, but senators john kerry and lindsay graham say they have been invited to the white house today. a pew research poll over the weekend found 62% of those surveyed believe the budget cuts would have a negative impact on the economy. congressional republicans are shouldering most of the blame

while nearly 1/3 of those polled are pointing the finger at president obama. susan mcginnis is in washington as the clock ticks away. susan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. that meeting between the president and two republican senators is supposed to focus only immigration, but it's pretty likely that the budget cuts will be part of that discussion. first, the president is going to make a quick jump out of town to a place he says will suffer greatly if these budget cuts happen. president obama heads to a virginia shipbuilding town today. newport news, virginia, is home to many navy and defense contractors. families could face layoffs in automatic budget cuts kick in this friday. >> and leave a lot of folks who are already pretty thinly stretched scrambling to figure out what to do. >> reporter: republicans in congress are criticizing the president, saying he should stay in washington. >> stop campaigning and come back to the table and work with us. >> reporter: the main sticking

point between the white house and congressional republicans, taxes. republicans say they'd raise taxes in the fiscal cliff deal in january. >> mr. president, you got your tax increase. it's time to cut spending here in washington. >> reporter: there seems to be a willingness on the part of some republicans to let the cuts happen, figuring since they're phased in over several months the impact won't be as severe as the presidenting ings isuggests. the president said at a meeting monday that budget cuts are already being felt. >> companies are preparing layoff notices. families are preparing to cut back on expenses. >> reporter: some republican governors aren't buying it. >> i think it is possible to cut less than 3% of the federal budget without causing devastating consequences. >> reporter: they say the president is using scare tactics. one republican, senator graham of south carolina, said he is open to raising tax revenue if the president is open to

overhauling the big entitlement programs. but most republicans here on capitol hill, anne-marie, say they are done raising taxes. >> susan mcginnis in washington. thank you. on tonight's cbs evening news, scott pelly will talk to john boehner it the sequestration and its implications. today the senate will vote on whether to move ahead with the nomination of chuck hagel to be the next secretary of defense. even if hagel gets enough votes to move forward, it's unclear if his former republican colleagues will allow an immediate confirmation vote. pope benedict officially steps down on thursday. cardinals are gathering in rome to choose his successor. in one of his last acts, though, as pope, benedict changed the rules of the conclave to allow it to get started as soon as they arrive. >> reporter: the pope seems increasingly at peace as he said his last good-byes. he leaves behind a vatican beset by troubles for the next pope

and for those who will choose him. britain's most senior cleric, keith o'brien, officially resigned and then took the unprecedented step of opting out of the conclave after he was accused of inappropriate contact with three priests dating back 30 years. o'brien disputes the accusations but said he didn't want to be the focus of media attention in rome. the news came as the pope accepted a report into what is likely to be his successor's greatest burden -- an internal investigation into power struggles and corruption within the vatican hire arcingy. the pope ordered the investigation after his butler was found to have stolen papers off his desk. author of "the vatican diaries: an inside look at the church" -- >> it all forms part of the burden, i think, that was placed on pope benedict. it went into his decision to resign. it will go into decisions of choosing his successor. absolutely, i think the

cardinals are going to want someone who is strong enough so that he won't be victimized by all the malfeasance going on around him inside the vatican walls. >> reporter: benedict ordered that the report be kept secret and shown only to his successor. bishop robert malino of madison, wisconsin, said the church needs an effective manager. >> we need someone with very strong gifts for doctrine, very strong gifts for spirituality and holy not, and very strong gifts for governance and administration right now. i don't think there would be any disagreement among catholics about that at the moment. >> reporter: finding someone who fits all those criteria as well as being able to get the church's message out to the flock will require the kind of divine inspiration cardinals say accompanies them into the conclave. alan pizzey, vatican city. coming up, the benefits of the mediterranean diet. plus, don't look for meatballs on the menu.

ahead in "money watch," why ikea is under fire for its signature dish. [ female announcer ] when a woman wears a pad

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♪ there's beauty in the world ♪ [ clapping ] on the cbs "money watch," ben bernanke speaks, and the food police blow the whistle on ikea. ashley morrison is here in new york with that and more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, anne-marie. political and financial chaos after monday's election in italy. a government official said today a center left coalition won the house, but no party won a majority in the senate. italy's government needs both chambers to pass legislation. the results could reignite the eurozone debt crisis and force new elections. those election results sent asian stocks down. tokyo's nikkei lost more than 2%. hong kong's hang seng fell 1.5%. the political chaos in italy and anxiety over the upcoming federal spending cuts took its toll on wall street monday. the dow tumbled 216 points, 90 of those points in the last 15

minutes. it was the biggest one-day drop since november 7. the nasdaq fell 45 points. investors will be listening closely to fed chief ben bernanke today. he will be on capitol hill testifying before the senate banking committee about whether the fed will slow down or stop its bond-buying program. on wednesday, bernanke will appear before the house committee on financial services. the civil trial against b.p. is underway in new orleans. the government said on monday bp is responsible for most of the 2010 oil spill in the gulf of mexico. 11 workers died when the oil rig exploded. bp claims the company -- blame the company that owns the oil rig. if the oil giant is found guilty, it could pay billions in damages. a surprise move by yahoo!. it's ordering everyone back to the office. according to a memo leaked from the company's h.r. department, yahoo! will end its work-at-home policy in june. the memo reportedly says working face to face fosters more

creativity. critics say the policy change will hurt workers who care for children or aging parents. and urch's horse meat scandal has snared furniture giant ikea. the swedish company on monday took its popular meatballs out of store freezers in 24 nations, but not the u.s. ikea says the meatballs in the states are safe. the company issued the recall after authorities in the czech republic found horse dna in packs of frozen meatballs that were labeled beef and pork. anne marie? >> thank you very much, ashley morrison here in new york. straight ahead, your tuesday morning weather. and in sports, the new england patriots get themselves a deal signing tom brady to a contract extension that pays him half of what some of the top quarterbacks make.

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life. -- patriot for life. he's agreed to a three-year extension that would keep him with the team until he's 40. the deal is worth $27 million. far below the average salary for top nfl quarterbacks. it could allow the patriots greater flexibility to sign other players. brady still has two seasons left on his current deal which pays him about $18 million a year. in the nba, the lakers' four-game winning streak is history. denver made it seem like show time, outscoring l.a. 33-3 in fast break points. things were going so well for denver, even the mascot nailed a half-court shot there. the nuggets improved their home record to 24-3 with a 119-108 win. in the nhl, the blackhawks have still not lost a game in regulation. hossa scores in overtime to give chicago the 3-2 win over edmonton. the blackhawks have recorded a standing point in their first 19 games of the season, a new

record. and it might only be february, but triple crown winner miguel cabrera is ready for baseball season. he smacked the home run against jonathan papelbon. it goes over a tiki bar and way out of the ballpark. detroit won 10-1. when we return, heart-healthy foods. why a lot of people may be switching to the mediterranean diet after the results of a new study. orn from the sweet monk fruit, something this delicious could only come from nature. new nectresse. the 100% natural no-calorie sweetener made from the goodness of fruit. new nectresse. sweetness naturally.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities. in washington, atlanta, or st. louis, pack your umbrella. rain in all three cities. high of 40 in st. louis. denver, snow showers, 32. seattle, mostly cloudy, 48 degrees there. heart disease is the leading cause of deaths for both men and

women, killing about 600,000 people in the u.s. every year. now a new study says changing over to a mediterranean diet could reduce that risk. as we report, this way of better health includes wine. >> reporter: the study compared the mediterranean diet to a low-fat diet among nearly 7,500 patients at high risk for heart disease. after five years, those on the mediterranean diet had 30% less heart attacks, strokes, or deaths from heart disease. dr. tara narulo is a cardiologist at lenox hill support. >> the study is significant because diet is one of the most underestimated and easy ways to change your cardiovascular risk profile. >> reporter: the mediterranean diet includes extra virgin olive oil, nuts, fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, fish, and poultry. it allows for seven or more glasses of wine a week. the low-fat diet also encourages fruit and vegetables and avoiding red meat but dirges all

vegetable oils including olive oil and nuts. >> you can have lower cholesterol levels, improve the way that your body handles cholesterol levels, improve the way that you handle blood sugar. improve the health of the way the blood vessels function and potentially prevent clotting within those blood vessels. >> reporter: geraldine has a family history of high cholesterol. last year she got a scare. >> i went to the doctor with a cholesterol of 335 which is outrageous. >> reporter: she began taking a cholesterol-lowering drug called crestor and is following a mediterraneanyon diet. >> it was up to me, my physician could do so much, but i needed to do the rest. >> reporter: the findings were so dramatic that researchers stopped the study after five years. it would have been unethical to withhold the results any longer. cbs news, new york. now to incredible technology you have to see to believe. researchers at cornell university have found a way to

create replacement ears with a 3d printer that uses living ink. >> that gel that we're printing out of the printer and using in the mold actually contains living cells. so what's coming out of the printer is alive at the time we print with it. >> cartilage grows around the collagen, ultimately replacing it after three months. researchers hope to use the technology to grow customized ears for children born with a condition where the external ear fails to grow fully. the former u.s. surgeon general, c. everett koop, has died. he was surgeon general from 1981 to 1989 and was one of the most recognizable figures of the reagan era. despite being an evangelical christian, he endorsed condoms and sex education to stop the spread of aids. he also carried out a crusade to end smoking in the u.s. c. everett koop died monday in hanover, new hampshire. he was 96 years old.

coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," best-selling author bishop t.d. jakes. i'm anne-marie green, this is the "cbs morning news." "my son made me this coffee," "you should try it, it's delicious." ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette you celebrate a little win. nicorette gum helps calm your cravings and makes you less irritable. quit one cigarette at a time. i don't know. i can ask. c'est un fruit ou un legume? it's a fish.

good morning. welcome to wusa9. today is tuesday, february 26. i'm andrea roane. i'm mike hydeck. you ever start your day and spill stuff all over yourself?

>> no. >> good to see you this morning. good morning. monika, how are you? >> can you relate, howard? >> i think we can all relate but right now we're laughing at mike. weather wise we're going to have an interesting day. this morning is going to be quiet but boy, things are going to change in a bad way this afternoon. we've got rain. could be heavy at times so the afternoon commute is not going to be a pretty one. out west in the mountains we have a threat for some wintry weather, especially above a thousand feet. let's start with your day planner on this messy mike's titus morning with temperatures climbing into the mid-40s for highs. the rain developing here. some showers by noon but it's going to be the afternoon. by 1:00, 2:00 i think it's going to be raining just about everywhere and a wind driven rain at that as the winds pick up out of the east, northeast, 20 miles an hour by 8:00. we'll have gusts this afternoon in the 25, 30 mile an hour range. with temps in the 40s and rain, it is going to be raw. big storm producing heavy snow

coming out of kansas into missouri and western illinois. the rain is moving in our direction. cold enough in our mountain itself where we're going to have -- mountains where we're going to have some problems. west of the blue ridge, this is mainly above a thu feet. we're -- thousand feet. we're talking sleet and freezing rain. there will be enough no garrett county, the white ones, we have snow, sleet, and even an ice warning for parts of west virginia. we have a flood watch from 3:00 to midnight, 1 to 2 inches of rain will be possible before the day is out. your temperatures this morning they're chilly running in the mid-20s to low 30s but we'll get to the 40s later o. let's go to monika samtani this tuesday morning. beltway users, listen up. we have problems. in prince george's county a messy situation since 11:00 last night on the inner loop. that's southbound 495, 95 just after the bw parkway in new carrollton. a double tractor-trailer on its side. let's take a look now at the activity there where only the

two left lanes still getting by. i know that they're telling us that hopefully by 5:00 they'll have everything pushed off to the sowlder although the accident activity will remain. watch out for this accident involving a double tractor- trailer on its side. andrea roane will have more details in just a couple of minutes. here's what it looks like on the beltway at new hampshire avenue. this looks fine so as you head southbound past new hampshire avenue, that's you where want to scoot over to the left to get around it in prince george's county. a last live look in virginia on the northbound side of i-95 things are looking great. no issues in springfield heading up to the beltway. back to you. >> thank you, monika. there are just three days now left until automatic across- the-board budget cults kick in. >> economists say it's going to hurt the economy. no official negotiations are planned between the democrats and the republicans. >> susan mcginnis is looking at why the two sides appear to be at an impasse. >> reporter: president obama

heads to a virginia shipbuilding town today. newport news, virginia is home to many navy and defense contractors. families there could face layoffs if automatic budget cuts kick in this friday. >> it will leave a lot of folks who are already pretty thinly stretched scrambling to figure out what to do. >> reporter: republicans in congress are criticizing the president saying he should stay in washington. >> stop campaigning and come back to the table and work with us. >> reporter: the main sticking point with the white house and congressional republicans? taxes. the. wants to close tax loopholes along with spending cuts. republicans say they raised taxes in the fiscal cliff deal in january. >> mr. president, you got your tax increase. it's time to cut spending here in washington. >> reporter: there seems to be a willingness on the part of some republicans to let the cuts happen figuring since they're phased in over several months, the impact won't be as severe as the president subjects. the president